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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 14 March 2019

U.S. plans tests this year of long-banned types of missiles

By ROBERT BURNS vive, although it likely will be a ballistic missile with a
AP National Security Writer be terminated in August. range of roughly 3,000 to
WASHINGTON (AP) — The At that point, Washington 4,000 kilometers. Neither
Pentagon plans to begin and Moscow would no lon- would be nuclear armed,
flight tests this year of two ger face legal constraints the officials said.
types of missiles that have on deploying land-based The U.S. cruise missile is like-
been banned for more cruise or ballistic missiles ly to be flight-tested in Au-
than 30 years by a treaty with ranges between 500 gust, one official said, add-
from which both the United and 5,500 kilometers (310 ing that it might be ready
States and Russia are ex- to 3,410 miles). The INF trea- for deployment within 18
pected to withdraw in Au- ty has been in effect since months. The longer-range
gust, defense officials said 1987. ballistic missile is expected
Wednesday. The INF treaty was an arms to be tested in November,
By moving forward with control landmark in the fi- with deployment not likely
these missile projects, the nal years of the Cold War, for five years or more, the
Pentagon is not excluding but it began unraveling official said. If Russia and
President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing on drug traf- the possibility that the In- several years ago when the U.S. were to reach
ficking at the souther border in the Roosevelt Room of the White termediate-Range Nuclear Washington accused Rus- a deal to rescue the INF
House, Wednesday, March 13, 2019, in Washington.
Associated Press Forces Treaty could still sur- sia of developing, testing treaty before August, these
and, more recently, de- projects would not go for-
ploying a cruise missile that ward.
U.S. officials say violates the The cruise missile recalls a
treaty. Russia denies the nuclear-armed U.S. weap-
violation and contends the on that was deployed in
U.S. accusation is a ploy to Britain and several other
destroy the treaty. European NATO countries
Intermediate-range weap- in the 1980s, along with
ons are regarded as partic- Pershing 2 ground-based
ularly destabilizing because ballistic missiles, in response
of the short time they take to a buildup of Soviet SS-20
to reach a target. missiles targeting Western
When he announced on Europe. With the signing of
Feb. 1 that the U.S. would the INF treaty, those missiles
pull the plug on the INF were withdrawn and de-
treaty, President Donald stroyed.
Trump said his administra- The defense officials said
tion would "move forward" U.S. allies in Europe and
with developing a military Asia have not yet been
response to Russia's alleged consulted about deploying
violations. He was not spe- either new missile on their
cific, but defense officials territory. NATO is currently
on Wednesday spelled out studying the implications
a plan for developing two of the demise of the INF
non-INF compliant, non-nu- treaty and possible military
clear missiles. responses.
The officials, who spoke to One defense official said
a small group of reporters it was possible that the in-
under Pentagon ground termediate-range ballistic
rules that did not permit use missile could be deployed
of their names or titles, said on Guam, a U.S. territo-
one project is a low-flying ry, which would be close
cruise missile with a poten- enough to Asia to pose a
tial range of about 1,000 potential threat to China
kilometers; the other would and Russia.q